In the conference room, the crew discusses the fate of the Commonwealth fleet. It appears they are farthest from the planet Tarazed, where the seat of power of the Commonwealth lies. Andromeda reports five Ogami ships chasing a small courier ship. Dylan instructs Rommie to fire, destroying three Ogami ships and chasing the other two away. The courier ship hails the Andromeda.

Courier Pilot Luck arrives on the Andromeda with a message for Dylan. He pulls a flexi from his vest, and when Dylan grabs for it a hologram of a man named Paroo appears, stating, “The Commonwealth is history.” Paroo tells them he is holding Tri-Jema the Triumvir captive, saying that she will die with him and Dylan is to blame for the end of the Triumvirate. His demeanor is odd --menacing one minute, as if he is taking directions from another entity, then sincere and almost kind. Dylan has no other choice but to set out to rescue the Triumvir. The crew has no word from the Commonwealth Congress on Tarazed or from Sinti to verify Paroo’s story, but Dylan is compelled to try.

Dylan replays the message from Paroo taking notice of the sound of something falling apart. As Andromeda enhances the sound, screams of agony and torture are heard. Andromeda reports the locket on Paroo’s uniform is that of a Collector--a group formed in secret to collect and preserve the knowledge of the old Commonwealth after the Fall. Dylan instructs the Andromeda to track the route of the courier ship. It appears the ship began at the All Forces Nullification Point before traveling through the slipstream and being dropped into the Andromeda galaxy.

Dylan and Trance listen to Luck as he explains that his journey began at the Route of Ages where the universe pulls apart. He pleads with Dylan to save the Commonwealth and then dies. Dylan instructs Beka to steer the ship to the site of the Nietzschean attack in the Triangulum Galaxy. As they search for Commonwealth ships a cruiser emerges and hails them. Commander Rodrigo Cross of Sinti explains he was with the destroyed Commonwealth fleet and was ordered to engage by Paroo, Head of Commonwealth Security. He requests Dylan’s permission to follow the Andromeda.

Dylan instructs Rommie to run the Paroo communiqués she has come across. In the first, Paroo is ordering an unknown Commonwealth member to ignore the attacks on the Triumvirate on Tarazed. In the next, Paroo is ordering everyone to engage claiming the Andromeda is firing on the Commonwealth fleet. In the final sequence he reports the Andromeda has abandoned him and his crew.

More surviving Commonwealth ships begin to arrive. The crew is ready to track down Paroo but they need more information on where he is hiding. Per Dylan’s request, the Andromeda hologram draws their attention to a small vase sitting behind Paroo as they take another look at Paroo’s message. The vase bursts into pieces revealing his location at the All Forces Nullification Point.

When the Andromeda arrives at the All Forces Nullification Point, Trance notices a small planet in the middle that is rapidly falling apart. To ensure their safety, Dylan instructs the remaining Commonwealth members to pull back and wait for his orders while the Andromeda heads toward the planet. He and Beka take a slipfighter down to the planet, finding a very unstable surface. Paroo appears and mocks their efforts, telling them they will all die then he disappears into a cave. Dylan and Beka decide to split up to look for Tri-Jema.

Dylan finds Paroo in his cave and beats Tri-Jema’s locations out of him. He finds Beka and orders her to watch him. Rommie has located the Triumvir and Dylan tracks her down. Tri-Jema is holding a force lance and does not trust Dylan for his supposed betrayal of the Commonwealth. Meanwhile, Beka is listening to Paroo explain his actions when he sees a break and makes a run for it.

Dylan and Tri-Jema are in a standoff while holes burst open around them. Dylan is trying to convince Tri-Jema to leave the planet but she doesn’t trust him, still believing he destroyed the Commonwealth fleet. Paroo appears, telling Tri-Jema that she will be safe staying on the planet. As all three of them have their force lances drawn, Dylan strikes down Paroo and he morphs into a puddle of dark goo with a point of light at the center, reminiscent of the Abyss.. Tri-Jema sees this, finally realizing it was the Abyss controlling him. Beka appears and they race for the slipfighter.

andromeda02.wav
Paroo: "The Commonwealth is history. Story over. All is ended."

andromeda05.wav
Paroo: "Dylan, listen. Captain Hunt, you and your crew must fend for yourselves. Save yourselves. Find somewhere you can spend the rest of your lives if not happily, at least in safety."

andromeda08.wav
Paroo: "And you..you...Dylan Hunt, you ...you are to blame."

andromeda11.wav
Paroo: "So, kiss goodbye the dream that used to be the Commonwealth."

andromeda14.wav
Paroo: "They'll be fine. I will protect them."

andromeda15.wav
Paroo: "You have your orders. The Commonwealth is at stake. The Andromeda is covering our flank. "

andromeda16.wav
Paroo: "That is classified."

andromeda17.wav
Paroo: "I'm in charge. We're having some problems here. Everyone engage. Engage!"

andromeda18.wav
Paroo: "The Andromeda is firing on the Commonwealth fleet."

andromeda21.wav
Paroo: "Where is everyone?"

andromeda22.wav
Paroo: "We've been abandoned by the Andromeda and by Dylan Hunt. The Commonwealth is falling apart."

andromeda23.wav
Paroo: "Marvelous, don't you think? A self-cleaning planet."

andromeda26.wav
Paroo: "Thankfully, I do need some new friends."

andromeda27.wav
Paroo: "If you don't run, you're dead. You know that, don't you?"

andromeda30.wav
Paroo: "No, no, no, no, no. I don't want you to leave right away. I know."

andromeda31.wav
Paroo: "I don't want to do this. You have to go now. Please, just go!"

andromeda34.wav
Paroo: "Hey! Let's trade secrets! I've only got one and I've forgotten what it is (laughter)."

andromeda37.wav
Paroo: "I've betrayed the Commonwealth. So have you. And that can't be my fault. Look! Look!"

andromeda38.wav
Paroo: "I was happy - that was the deal I made. But power corrupts. I had to give in. Everybody does in the end."

andromeda39.wav
Paroo: "I was tortured by the abyss. For you, Dylan Hunt, I have a preview of coming attractions."

andromeda40.wav
Paroo: "Correct. Let me save you from an embarassing negotioation. Take some time to make amends to whatever god you make amends to before you die."

andromeda41.wav
Paroo: "She's around here somewhere, but I appear to have misplaced her."

andromeda42.wav
Paroo: "20 degrees north latitude, 84 degrees east longitude is the position as prime meridian.."

andromeda45.wav
Paroo: "Really quite simple. The Collectors know everything. And we've perfected this knowledge - this power."

andromeda46.wav
Paroo: "I was in charge of Commonwealth security. Do you know how easy it is to set groups against other groups? It took quite a long time, but I think it turned out gloriously, didn't it? Didn't it? Didn't it?"

andromeda47.wav
Paroo: "I've slaughtered everyone who came here. And then I murdered my own team, just to make it look as if Dylan Hunt was trying to destro what was left of the Commonwealth."

andromeda48.wav
Paroo: "Anything courageous must go. It's a fire sale. It's our plan."

andromeda49.wav
Paroo: "You hear that pounding, don't you? I share a wall, a skin with the spirit of the abyss."

andromeda50.wav
Paroo: "Don't you see? This is how the universe ends. There's nothing I can do about it. I tried!"

andromeda51.wav
Paroo: "Like whistling in the dark. A pumping of the heart. You have a heart, don't you?"

andromeda52.wav
Paroo: "I'll have your heart."

andromeda55.wav
Paroo: "it's a tough world, Captain. You either run or you die."

andromeda56.wav
Paroo: "I hope you haven't been listening to him, Tri-Jema. You can see what he's trying to do. He wants you to leave, and you should stay. You're safe here."

andromeda57.wav
Paroo: "We cannot go. We cannot die."